This invention relates in general to the manufacture of cast products, and in particular to an apparatus and a method for producing cast products including an improved method of cooling the products after casting.
Cast products are typically manufactured by pouring or injecting molten material into molds, and then allowing the molten material to cool so that it solidifies. The solidified products are then removed from the molds. In a continuous manufacturing process, the molds containing the molten material are often transported on a conveyor until they are sufficiently cooled so that the products can be removed from the molds. In some processes, the molds are transported on a conveyor which is configured in a serpentine pattern.
The conventional use of a conveyor for cooling cast products typically requires a large amount of floor space in the manufacturing plant, even when the conveyor is configured in a serpentine pattern. The cooling on the conveyor also limits the speed at which cast products can be manufactured in the process. Thus, it would be desirable to provide an improved apparatus and method for producing cast products, including an improved method of cooling the products after casting.
The present invention provides an apparatus for producing a plurality of cast products. The apparatus includes a plurality of molds, and a casting apparatus which casts products in the molds. A multi-level pallet carries the molds containing the cast products on at least two vertical levels. A loading apparatus loads the molds onto the multi-level pallet. A conveyor moves the multi-level pallet through a cooling area which is sufficient to cool the cast products for removal from the molds. An unloading apparatus unloads the molds from the multi-level pallet.
The invention also provides a method of producing a plurality of cast products. In a first step, the products are cast in a plurality of molds. The molds are then loaded onto a multi-level pallet which carries the molds on at least two vertical levels. The multi-level pallet is conveyed through a cooling area which is sufficient to cool the cast products for removal from the molds. After cooling, the molds are unloaded from the multi-level pallet.
The use of multi-level pallets to carry the molds on a conveyor greatly increases the number of molds which can be cooled in a given floor space. This allows the manufacturer to speed up the casting process. Alternatively, the casting process can be conducted at the same speed, and the amount of floor space used for cooling can be reduced, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.
Various other advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, when read in light of the accompanying drawings.